This invention relates to a shaving blade assembly pre-form that comprises a blade frame comprising transverse connecting strips; a plurality of blades that are welded to the blade frame and that span the transverse connecting strips placed along a length of the frame; and a disposable tie disposed parallel to said plurality of blades and across said transverse connecting strips.
It is well known in the wet shaving manufacturing field to incorporate shaving blades joined to blade supports onto a substantially rigid or rigid cartridge housing. It is, however, easily recognizable by shaving consumers when a razor cartridge is too rigid. This typically arises as a result of being nicked or cut by a razor blade that does not follow the contour of the skin but rather abruptly engages with the skin instead of the hair on the skin.
One way to alleviate this discomfort that plagues shaving consumers has been to provide razors that have more flexible configurations. For instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,804,886 B2, Applicant discloses a blade unit that is incorporated in a resiliently compliant blade support structure. In particular, the blade unit includes a blade assembly comprising a plurality of parallel blades mounted on a razor handle by a flexible support structure. Each of the blades consists of an elongate blade element having a forward edge section with a sharp cutting edge, and a planar blade section extending rearwardly from the forward edge section, which is upwardly inclined by bending a blade element back from the tip of the cutting edge. Even in configurations as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,804,886 B2, there is no mention of a method of ensuring that the blade to blade span, blade angle, and blade geometry may be preserved during the attachment of the blade portion to the unit. As detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,212,777, it has been determined that a progressive blade geometry is key to ensuring the delicate balance of a close shave but not so close so as to cause nicking.
Consequently, based on these previous approaches to providing a comfortable and effective shaving experience, there is still a need for a conforming razor product that overcomes these difficulties experienced during manufacturing as well as during shaving. In particular, Applicant has found a manner to preserve the desired blade geometry through blade attachment to the blade frame during manufacture of a razor product.